Insider Secrets: Stampbord

Design Team member Helen Chilton reviews her favourite stamping product and tells us why she still loves Stampbord! Read on to get the inside scoop...

Now I know Stampbord has been around for quite a while, but I still love using it. I remember the excitement it caused when it first appeared on the craft market – as before it had been aimed at the fine art market and sold in larger pieces.

For me one of the best things about Stampbord is the way you can add highlights to your work just by scratching into the fine white clay covering. On other surfaces, the only way to add highlights is by using a white pen or paint, masking fluid or bleach, yet with Stampbord you can etch in minute details, varying the lines with the different scraper tools specifically designed for the purpose.

It stamps beautifully because the surface is so smooth and you can colour it with whatever you like. Alcohol inks give a really vibrant effect but you can just as easily use dye inks, paint, coloured pencils and more.

I love creating tiny works of art using collage stamps - ink up the stamp with a permanent inkpad and press the Stampbord down onto the part of the image you want. Instant art without the fuss of masking! Then you can just etch away to your heart's content: link pieces together, make bag charms, key rings, jewellery, whatever takes your fancy.

Here I've made a little piece of wall art using Crafty Individual stamps and alcohol inks. I find Crafty Individual stamps particularly good for Stampbord as their collage images tend to be very detailed, a good size and beautifully drawn. There are lots of different elements within this one image: background, text, pattern, lace, focal point etc.

I've used three colours of Ranger Alcohol Ink - Sunshine Yellow, Watermelon and Raspberry. Drop some yellow in the middle then some red and pink around the edges and let the inks run together. If it's too dark, add a couple of drops of blending solution to the mix or dab up some of the ink with an old baby wipe.

Let it dry completely before stamping the Spring Bird collage CI-357. I have found that the easiest way to choose the part of the stamp you want is to cut an aperture in a piece of paper the size of your Stampbord tile and use this window to place over parts of the image. Remember, if you're going to add eyelets for hanging, you don't want them going right through the middle of your focal point, so leave enough space at the top.

When the image is dry, you can then start etching. If you want to you can add a different colour back into the etched areas - I've added yellow into the flower centres. Then spend a happy hour choosing embellishments to complement your art work.

Stampbord is manufactured by Ampersand Art www.ampersandart.com

To see more of Helen’s work visit helenchilton.blogspot.co.uk